Collections

Description of the Collection

The collection consists of 250,000 volumes and 1500 serial subscriptions along with essential academic and practitioner databases and special format materials such as media and microforms. ILR collection strengths are in the areas of labor and employment, including collective bargaining, human resource studies, international and comparative industrial relations, labor disputes and history, labor economics, organizational behavior, and trade union issues. While many of these resources are academic in origin, Catherwood also collects directly from unions, corporations, governments, and non-profit organizations. Additionally, we are an International Labour Organization (ILO) Partner Library. See the Industrial and Labor Relations Collection for more information.

The Catherwood Library also houses the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives. With over 19,000 linear feet of manuscript materials, it ranks as one of three major centers of its type in the country. The Center is the designated repository for papers of key individuals and organizations prominent in the history of labor-management relations. It also houses an exceptional photograph collection of over 350,000 images.

Catherwood Digital Collections

This repository features the scholarship of ILR’s faculty and researchers, along with collections of digital material selected by the reference librarians and archivists at Catherwood. Featured collections include: